Teen pregnancy is surprisingly decreasing over the years. According to Farber, “the most recent studies have shown that there has been a decrease in the rate of pregnancies among all teenagers and among sexually active teenagers (16). Although this issue seems is decreasing this is still a problem faced by many teenage girls today. Each year, 7.5 percent of all 15-19 year old women become pregnant (Maynard 1). Not only does this issue affects the pregnant teen but it also affects the economy. Teen pregnancy affects graduation rates. Many teen mothers cite pregnancy as the key reason of them not finishing school. Only 40 percent of teen mothers finish high school (Teen Pregnancy Affects Graduation Rates). The 60 percent of teen mothers that do not finish high school not only influence their future, but the future of their unborn baby. The best solution to help teen pregnancy become obsolete and save many teenagers futures is abstinence. Abstinence is the best solution because this solution has four advantages such as, it has the highest effectiveness, it teaches other important life skills, it aids teens in school and it halts the spread of STDs among adolescents.
According to Lawton, “abstinence means not having sexual intercourse (vaginal, anal or oral intercourse) at any time” (25).This answer is a sure way to improve the rate of teen pregnancy. Those that take the pledge to become abstinent usually use this form of contraception until they get married. It has proven to have the highest effectiveness. Unlike condoms and birth control pills abstinence is 100 percent guaranteed prevention. Birth control pills have a very high effective rate. However, if a woman forgets to take one her chances of becoming pregnant, become greater...
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Kittleson, Mark J., William Kane, Richelle Rennegarbe, and Elissa Howard-Barr. The Truth about Sexual Behavior and Unplanned Pregnancy. New York: Facts on File, 2005. Web.
Lawton, Sandra Augustyn. Pregnancy Information for Teens: Health Tips about Teen Pregnancy and Teen Parenting. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, 2007. Print.
Maynard, Rebecca A. Kids Having Kids: Economic Costs and Social Consequences of Teen Pregnancy. Washington, D.C.: Urban Institute, 1997. Print.
Mucciolo, Gary. Everything You Need to Know about Birth Control. New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 2000. Print.
"Teen Pregnancy Affects Graduation Rates." Reform and State Legislative Initiatives. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.
Winikoff, Beverly, and Suzanne Wymelenberg. The Whole Truth about Contraception: A Guide to Safe and Effective Choices. Washington, D.C.: Joseph Henry, 1997. Print.
As everyone knows, teen pregnancy rate is increasing more and more each day and someone needs to do something to try and either stop it or decrease it dramatically. Teen pregnancy is causing dramatic population increase and that’s just common sense. Teens getting pregnant at such a young age is also causing poverty levels to go up more and more. Mississippi Spent over $100 million on teen pregnancy alone in the year 2010 (“Teen Pregnancy”). Just think of what it is now. More teens are dropping out of school and not finishing their education. According to the authors of this article, “approximately 30 percent of teen mothers have mothers who dropped out of high school, 40 percent have mothers who are mothers who dropped out of high school, 40 percent have mothers who are high school graduates, and 30 percent have mothers who attended college”(Kearny et al 143). Many people don’t realize that there are many effects of teen pregnancy including higher risk of birth defect, more likely to drop out, and also abortion rates increase.
According to www.cdc.gov, in 2013, a total of two hundred and seventy-three thousand, one hundred and five babies were born to women fifteen to nineteen years of age. Though this is low for the typical rate of teen- child births, the U.S. teen pregnancy rate is substantially higher than in other western industrialized nations. There are many stories of teen mothers who feel like they have their lives together, and consider their stories “success stories”. What most teens don’t understand, is the difficulties of being a mother, especially at such a young age. Teen pregnancy has more negative outcomes than positive outcomes, as shown by a girl named Haley in her teen pregnancy story. The best way to prevent teen pregnancy is through information
The Federal Government has invested millions of dollars into an abstinence education program for young adults that provide ways for them to avoid sexual activity at such a young age. The program teaches teens the importance of sustaining from sexual activity before marriage and the importance of a monogamous relationship in a marriage. It also teaches them the harmful effects psychologically and physically, of sexual activity at a young age.
More information on the effects of teen pregnancy would cause a larger decline in pregnancy rates. Although there are many books and students are educated on human development. If teens were better educated then it would help them to make better decisions. Not much information is given on what effects of becoming pregnant or the resources available to pregnant teenagers. For example, there is less than a 2% chance that a teen mother will have earned a college degree by the time she is 30 (11 Facts about Teen Pregnancy). One of the effects of teen pregnancy is depression due to the many fluctuating hormones. The loss of any supports from friend or colleagues throughout the pregnancy cycle leaves the mother feeling alone. Parents don’t know what to do and are unprepared to deal with their child’s pregnancy. A second effe...
In the United States today, many teenage girls are facing lots of problems. New problems are rising such as an increased pregnancy rate among teenagers. Our teenage girls are less developed and unprepared for the problems which come along with their decision to have sex. It is also too early for teenage girls to become pregnant. Many teens think having a baby is some sort of joke. They believe it will never happen to them but the reality is that every time teens have sex, there is a possibility that the sperm will find its way to the egg if they do not get protection. As a nation, or society, it is in our common interest to protect our teenage girls from getting unwanted or unplanned pregnancy. However, this issue of protecting or preventing our teenage girls from pregnancy plays a dynamic role and is a matter of choice. Many parents and educators have long argued over whether teens should get a comprehensive sex education or abstinence only education. The question is which of these programs is more effective at stopping teen pregnancy. To prevent teenage pregnancy, the United States, should force schools to teach comprehensive sex education for many reasons. For many people, instructing teenage girls about the usefulness of birth control and condoms is more important than just simply mentioning to avoid sex until marriage. Comprehensive sex education is needed to teach teens about the usefulness of condoms.
Studies show that within the last seven years there has been a dramatic drop in the number of teen pregnancies. Teen pregnancy is best known as, the act of getting pregnant between the ages of fifteen and nineteen. Teen pregnancy does not come with much of a history. In the past, (mostly in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s) it was common for girls to be married between the ages of fourteen and sixteen and give birth not long after. Some girls were having babies as young as thirteen and fourteen years old! During the times that young girls would bear children and be married so young, college and education was not an important factor. As a young girl you learned how to take care of your house, farm, laundry, crops, animals, husband, and children. The father was your main source of income. Obviously things in our time are very different. Over the years a growing importance for education and making a living on your own has become crucial to many women. It was no longer important to have children so soon, but to learn to be a strong, educated, and independent woman. Even now as time has gone by, the image of being a pregnant teenage girl has been glorified solely by media. It becomes less important to get an education so you can get a good job and be able to raise a child and give them a good life, and more important to get pregnant and get a chance to be worshiped nationally on t.v. for being pregnant and making all of your money through fame.
Teen pregnancy is affecting the graduation rate in high schools. “Approximately 1,000 high school students will drop out with each hour that passes in a school day in America” (National Women’s Law Center, 2007). Teen pregnancy first came into view in the 1950’s. In different states teens that were pregnant were not allowed to attend school, most of them had to switch schools out of state in order to attend. Teenage pregnancy was normal in previous centuries and common in developed countries in the twentieth century. As higher education became available to women, they began to start their families later in life. By the 1950’s, parents were encouraging their kids to stay in school and to not marry until they graduate high school so they can focus on school better. Today, any teen pregnancy is frowned upon and they are getting judged. Parents want their kids to enjoy all the benefits of higher education before they begin their families. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “in 2011, a total of 329,797 babies were born in the United States to girls between the ages of fifteen and nineteen.” Teenage pregnancy is the number on...
Teen pregnancy continues to be an issue. Although teen pregnancy has been cut nearly in half in the last 25 years, it still continues to be a huge economic and public policy issue. “U.S. teen birth rates remain disproportionately high compared with other developed countries” (“Study Examines”), as many studies observed. But it’s clear that public awareness of the issue, its causes and its effects, along with outreach programs to instruct teens on the risks and dangers of teen pregnancy and unsafe sex can have dramatic effects on the issue and lead to massive reductions in the problem. Continuing on this path and increasing public knowledge on these issues is a surefire way to continue to decrease the number of girls who become pregnant before they become adults, and continue to secure greater economic access to women in the future.
Teen pregnancy falls into the category of pregnancies in girls age 19 or younger (NIH). Although statistics have shown a decrease, the number of teen pregnancy in the U.S. is still relatively high compared to the rest of the world. Sexual health is one of the top priorities in early adolescence health in the United States. Consequences of having sex at a young age generally results in unsafe sex practices. The consequences can be due to the lack of knowledge about sex education, and access to birth control/contraception (NIH, 2005). Due to the lack of knowledge and access to birth control, adolescents involve in risk taking when they start to explore sexual intimate relationships. Consequences of unsafe sexual behavior include sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy (NIH, 2005). This paper will focus on the majority aspect of pregnancy in adolescent.
The birth rate among teens in the United States has declined 9% from 2009 to 2010, a historic low among all racial and ethnic groups, with the least being born in 2010; and in 2011 the number of babies born to adolescents aged 15-19 years of age was 329,797 (“Birth Rates for U.S.”, 2012). Although the decline in unwanted and unplanned teen births is on the rise the United States continues to be among the highest of industrialized countries facing this problem. This is a prevailing social concern because of the health risks to these young mothers as well as their babies. Teens at higher risk of becoming pregnant are raised at or below the poverty level by single parents; live in environments that cause high levels of stress (i.e., divorce, sexual psychological and physical abuse); are influenced by peers or family members that are sexually active; and lack parental guidance that would direct them to be responsible and self-controlled.
Written by Kathrin F. Stranger-Hall and David W. Hall, the article “Abstinence-Only Education and Teen Pregnancy Rates: Why We Need Comprehensive Sex Education in the U.S.” argues that comprehensive sex education is more effective in lowering teen pregnancy rates than abstinence only sex education. As clearly stated by the authors, the claim of the article is that “abstinence-only education does not reduce teen pregnancy rates.” (Stanger-Hall 10) This point is worth arguing because sex education is expected to decrease the number of teenage pregnancies in the United States. If schools across the nation are only lecturing students on how to save sex for marriage, there is no education on having safe sex if they so choose to do. The authors define
Abstinence is when teen girls and boys do not have sexual intercourse. In some cases, birth control could make a teen think she is safe to have sex, but in reality, it can also help with the thought of what the outcomes of sex are. Abstinence can keep young girls from being talked into having intercourse or outercourse with a young male. Fertility awareness is brought about by birth control abstinence. Abstinence is the most effect way to prevent teen pregnancy along with birth control. It not only prevents teen pregnancy but also prevents the chance of STD’s spreading
Unarguably, teenage pregnancy is menace to society and detrimental to the teenage mother, father and families involved (Danawi, Bryant, & Hasbini, 2016, p. 28). Schools provide a perfect setting for sex education and implementation of teenage pregnancy prevention programs. However, there is great controversy in regards sex education and approaches to teenage pregnancy prevention fueled by parents’ preferences and opinions on sex education in schools. (Constantine, Jerman, & Huang, 2007, p. 167). Despite the controversy, a course or a class on reducing teenage pregnancy should be based on a comprehensive sex education which includes contraceptive use rather than being
Over the years, cases of teenage pregnancy have been on the rise and it is imperative to initiate measures through which the issue can be reduced if not eliminated. Statistics provided by the Center for Disease Control for the year 2009 pointed out that nearly 400,000 teenage girls that were aged between 15 and 19 gave birth (Carter, 15). The increase in teenage pregnancy has been blamed on the increase in sexual activities among the teens and with little information, these teens end up not protecting themselves. Sex education has been pointed as one of the ways through which teenage pregnancy can be curbed. Through sex education, teenagers can be taught the consequences of sex if not practiced safely (Beh & Diamond). Sexual education provides various ways through which teenagers can protect themselves from pregnancy. For instance, teenagers can be taught the various contraceptive methods that aid in preventing pregnancy just in case they decide to have
Abstinence is when you abstain from sexual activities. Abstaining from sexual activities is a great way to prevent teen pregnancy, and the risk of getting a sexually transmitted disease. In the past few years less sex and more condoms use has meant lower rates of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease. Abstinence is not a crime, as most teenagers and their peers seem to think. The actual crime among teens is not being able to fit in. Most teens have sex because of their peers being sexually active. The percentage of sexually active males declined from 57.4 percent to 48.8 percent, essentially erasing the gender gap. In high school students alone the rate for being sexually active went from being 66.7 percent to 60.9 percent in the years of 1991-1997. Abstinence is very important, but the peers of teenagers are just as important. " The Nurture Assumption " says that peer groups matter a lot more than parents influencing how kids turn out, because you can pass your genes, but not your values. CFOC’s National Survey of Family Growth stated that teens are having less sex. CFOC also stated that more teenagers surveyed that their closest friends were involved in some sort of sex education class, and they were not sexually active. Abstaining...